The History of Early English

The History of Early English provides an accessible and student-friendly introduction to the history of the English language from its beginnings until the end of the Early Modern English period.

"Johnson's History of Early English does not disappoint. He has the knack of presenting difficult material in a refreshingly digestible and interactive style which links up the ancient-and-long-ago to today, and all of that is done without compromising on detail: he includes topics that are abuzz in the research world of the history of English."Peter Tan, National University of Singapore "Johnson's account of the story of Old English is a remarkable achievement. It brings clarity, warmth and humour to a potentially dry topic, and provides a fascinating guide to the evolution of the English language from its beginnings until the end of the 17th century. The activities are integral to the book's success, drawing the reader into the text while at the same time stimulating discussion and exploration beyond the text. The book will be an invaluable resource and a thoroughly enjoyable read for students of linguistics and lovers of language around the world."Stephen Andrews, The University of Hong Kong

Autorentext

Keith Johnson is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Language Education in the Department of Linguistics and English Language, University of Lancaster

Klappentext

The History of Early English provides an accessible and student-friendly introduction to the history of the English language from its beginnings until the end of the Early Modern English period.

Inhalt

PART A. PRELIMINARIES AND ANCESTRIES1. HISTORY, AND HISTORICAL CHANGE
2 LANGUAGES AND THEIR DAUGHTERS

PART B. OLD ENGLISH
3 OLD ENGLISH: A FIRST LOOK
4 OE WRITING, PRONUNCIATION, AND A DEVIL OF A MOUTHFUL

5. THE OLD ENGLISH WORD-HOARD
   6 OE GRAMMAR: A 'JUNGLE OF ENDINGS'
6. OE LITERATURE: 'A SYZYGY OF DIPODIC HEMISTICHS'

PART C. MIDDLE ENGLISH

8. LO, ENGLAND INTO NORMANDY'S HAND
9. 'THE ENGLISH TONGUE . . . HONOURABLY ENLARGED AND ADORNED': ME WORDS AND PRAGMATICS
10. 'LIGHTER . . . THAN THE OLD AND ANCIENT ENGLISH'
11. ME LITERATURE: INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE 'FIELD FULL OF FOLK'

PART D. INTERLUDE

12. A SHORT INTERLUDE ABOUT LONG VOWELS: THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT

PART E. EARLY MODERN ENGLISH

13. 'MANIE MATTERS OF SINGULAR DISCOURSE': SOME ENGLISH RENAISSANCE HISTORY
    14 'WRYTING TREU' AND 'SOUNDYING CLEARE': EModE GRAPHOLOGY, SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION
    15 TURNING WATER INTO WINE: RENAISSANCE WORDS
    16 'TRUE AND WELL-SPEAKING A LANGUAGE': RENAISSANCE GRAMMAR
14. 'I THOU THEE, THOU TRAITOR': SOME RENAISSANCE PRAGMATICS
    18 'WELL TURNED, AND TRUE FILED LINES': RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
15. 'A SETTLED, CERTAIN AND CORRECTED LANGUAGE': THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY